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Tseng CC, Woolley TE, Jiang TX, Wu P, Maini PK, Widelitz RB, Chuong CM. Gap junctions in Turing-type periodic feather pattern formation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.15.537019. [PMID: 37090608 PMCID: PMC10120740 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.15.537019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Periodic patterning requires coordinated cell-cell interactions at the tissue level. Turing showed, using mathematical modeling, how spatial patterns could arise from the reactions of a diffusive activator-inhibitor pair in an initially homogenous two-dimensional field. Most activators and inhibitors studied in biological systems are proteins, and the roles of cell-cell interaction, ions, bioelectricity, etc. are only now being identified. Gap junctions (GJs) mediate direct exchanges of ions or small molecules between cells, enabling rapid long-distance communications in a cell collective. They are therefore good candidates for propagating non-protein-based patterning signals that may act according to the Turing principles. Here, we explore the possible roles of GJs in Turing-type patterning using feather pattern formation as a model. We found seven of the twelve investigated GJ isoforms are highly dynamically expressed in the developing chicken skin. In ovo functional perturbations of the GJ isoform, connexin 30, by siRNA and the dominant-negative mutant applied before placode development led to disrupted primary feather bud formation, including patches of smooth skin and buds of irregular sizes. Later, after the primary feather arrays were laid out, inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication in the ex vivo skin explant culture allowed the emergence of new feather buds in temporal waves at specific spatial locations relative to the existing primary buds. The results suggest that gap junctional communication may facilitate the propagation of long-distance inhibitory signals. Thus, the removal of GJ activity would enable the emergence of new feather buds if the local environment is competent and the threshold to form buds is reached. We propose Turing-based computational simulations that can predict the appearance of these ectopic bud waves. Our models demonstrate how a Turing activator-inhibitor system can continue to generate patterns in the competent morphogenetic field when the level of intercellular communication at the tissue scale is modulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chih Tseng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A
- Current address: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, U.S.A
| | - Thomas E. Woolley
- School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, Senghennydd Road, Cardiff, CF24 4AG, U.K
| | - Ting-Xin Jiang
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A
| | - Philip K. Maini
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, Andrew Wiles Building, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, U.K
| | - Randall B. Widelitz
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, U.S.A
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Davies JA. Synthetic Morphogenesis: introducing IEEE journal readers to programming living mammalian cells to make structures. PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE. INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS 2022; 110:688-707. [PMID: 36590991 PMCID: PMC7614003 DOI: 10.1109/jproc.2021.3137077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic morphogenesis is a new engineering discipline, in which cells are genetically engineered to make designed shapes and structures. At least in this early phase of the field, devices tend to make use of natural shape-generating processes that operate in embryonic development, but invoke them artificially at times and in orders of a technologist's choosing. This requires construction of genetic control, sequencing and feedback systems that have close parallels to electronic design, which is one reason the field may be of interest to readers of IEEE journals. The other reason is that synthetic morphogenesis allows the construction of two-way interfaces, especially opto-genetic and opto-electronic, between the living and the electronic, allowing unprecedented information flow and control between the two types of 'machine'. This review introduces synthetic morphogenesis, illustrates what has been achieved, drawing parallels wherever possible between biology and electronics, and looks forward to likely next steps and challenges to be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie A Davies
- Professor of Experimental Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a member of the Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology at that University
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Kondo S, Watanabe M, Miyazawa S. Studies of Turing pattern formation in zebrafish skin. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2021; 379:20200274. [PMID: 34743596 PMCID: PMC8580470 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2020.0274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Skin patterns are the first example of the existence of Turing patterns in living organisms. Extensive research on zebrafish, a model organism with stripes on its skin, has revealed the principles of pattern formation at the molecular and cellular levels. Surprisingly, although the networks of cell-cell interactions have been observed to satisfy the 'short-range activation and long-range inhibition' prerequisites for Turing pattern formation, numerous individual reactions were not envisioned based on the classical reaction-diffusion model. For example, in real skin, it is not an alteration in concentrations of chemicals, but autonomous migration and proliferation of pigment cells that establish patterns, and cell-cell interactions are mediated via direct contact through cell protrusions. Therefore, the classical reaction-diffusion mechanism cannot be used as it is for modelling skin pattern formation. Various studies are underway to adapt mathematical models to the experimental findings on research into skin patterns, and the purpose of this review is to organize and present them. These novel theoretical methods could be applied to autonomous pattern formation phenomena other than skin patterns. This article is part of the theme issue 'Recent progress and open frontiers in Turing's theory of morphogenesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeru Kondo
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masakatsu Watanabe
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Seita Miyazawa
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Li J, Lee MO, Chen J, Davis BW, Dorshorst BJ, Siegel PB, Inaba M, Jiang TX, Chuong CM, Andersson L. Cis-acting mutation affecting GJA5 transcription is underlying the Melanotic within-feather pigmentation pattern in chickens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2109363118. [PMID: 34607956 PMCID: PMC8521658 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109363118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanotic (Ml) is a mutation in chickens that extends black (eumelanin) pigmentation in normally brown or red (pheomelanin) areas, thus affecting multiple within-feather patterns [J. W. Moore, J. R. Smyth Jr, J. Hered. 62, 215-219 (1971)]. In the present study, linkage mapping using a back-cross between Dark Cornish (Ml/Ml) and Partridge Plymouth Rock (ml+/ml+ ) chickens assigned Ml to an 820-kb region on chromosome 1. Identity-by-descent mapping, via whole-genome sequencing and diagnostic tests using a diverse set of chickens, refined the localization to the genomic region harboring GJA5 encoding gap-junction protein 5 (alias connexin 40) previously associated with pigmentation patterns in zebrafish. An insertion/deletion polymorphism located in the vicinity of the GJA5 promoter region was identified as the candidate causal mutation. Four different GJA5 transcripts were found to be expressed in feather follicles and at least two showed differential expression between genotypes. The results showed that Melanotic constitutes a cis-acting regulatory mutation affecting GJA5 expression. A recent study established the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) locus and the interaction between the MC1R receptor and its antagonist agouti-signaling protein as the primary mechanism underlying variation in within-feather pigmentation patterns in chickens. The present study advances understanding the mechanisms underlying variation in plumage color in birds because it demonstrates that the activity of connexin 40/GJA5 can modulate the periodic pigmentation patterns within individual feathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Li
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding, and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
- Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Mi-Ok Lee
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Junfeng Chen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Benjamin J Dorshorst
- Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Paul B Siegel
- Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Masafumi Inaba
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033
| | - Ting-Xin Jiang
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033
| | - Leif Andersson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843;
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
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Wang C, Lu B, Li T, Liang G, Xu M, Liu X, Tao W, Zhou L, Kocher TD, Wang D. Nile Tilapia: A Model for Studying Teleost Color Patterns. J Hered 2021; 112:469-484. [PMID: 34027978 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The diverse color patterns of cichlid fishes play an important role in mate choice and speciation. Here we develop the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a model system for studying the developmental genetics of cichlid color patterns. We identified 4 types of pigment cells: melanophores, xanthophores, iridophores and erythrophores, and characterized their first appearance in wild-type fish. We mutated 25 genes involved in melanogenesis, pteridine metabolism, and the carotenoid absorption and cleavage pathways. Among the 25 mutated genes, 13 genes had a phenotype in both the F0 and F2 generations. None of F1 heterozygotes had phenotype. By comparing the color pattern of our mutants with that of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp), a natural mutant produced during hybridization of tilapia species, we found that the pigmentation of the body and eye is controlled by different genes. Previously studied genes like mitf, kita/kitlga, pmel, tyrb, hps4, gch2, csf1ra, pax7b, and bco2b were proved to be of great significance for color patterning in tilapia. Our results suggested that tilapia, a fish with 4 types of pigment cells and a vertically barred wild-type color pattern, together with various natural and artificially induced color gene mutants, can serve as an excellent model system for study color patterning in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Baoyue Lu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Tao Li
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Guangyuan Liang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Mengmeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xingyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wenjing Tao
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Linyan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Thomas D Kocher
- the Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Deshou Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract
It is well known that electrical signals are deeply associated with living entities. Much of our understanding of excitable tissues is derived from studies of specialized cells of neurons or myocytes. However, electric potential is present in all cell types and results from the differential partitioning of ions across membranes. This electrical potential correlates with cell behavior and tissue organization. In recent years, there has been exciting, and broadly unexpected, evidence linking the regulation of development to bioelectric signals. However, experimental modulation of electrical potential can have multifaceted and pleiotropic effects, which makes dissecting the role of electrical signals in development difficult. Here, I review evidence that bioelectric cues play defined instructional roles in orchestrating development and regeneration, and further outline key areas in which to refine our understanding of this signaling mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Harris
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopaedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue Enders 260, Boston MA 02115, USA
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A complex genetic architecture in zebrafish relatives Danio quagga and D. kyathit underlies development of stripes and spots. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009364. [PMID: 33901178 PMCID: PMC8102007 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate pigmentation is a fundamentally important, multifaceted phenotype. Zebrafish, Danio rerio, has been a valuable model for understanding genetics and development of pigment pattern formation due to its genetic and experimental tractability, advantages that are shared across several Danio species having a striking array of pigment patterns. Here, we use the sister species D. quagga and D. kyathit, with stripes and spots, respectively, to understand how natural genetic variation impacts phenotypes at cellular and organismal levels. We first show that D. quagga and D. kyathit phenotypes resemble those of wild-type D. rerio and several single locus mutants of D. rerio, respectively, in a morphospace defined by pattern variation along dorsoventral and anteroposterior axes. We then identify differences in patterning at the cellular level between D. quagga and D. kyathit by repeated daily imaging during pattern development and quantitative comparisons of adult phenotypes, revealing that patterns are similar initially but diverge ontogenetically. To assess the genetic architecture of these differences, we employ reduced-representation sequencing of second-generation hybrids. Despite the similarity of D. quagga to D. rerio, and D. kyathit to some D. rerio mutants, our analyses reveal a complex genetic basis for differences between D. quagga and D. kyathit, with several quantitative trait loci contributing to variation in overall pattern and cellular phenotypes, epistatic interactions between loci, and abundant segregating variation within species. Our findings provide a window into the evolutionary genetics of pattern-forming mechanisms in Danio and highlight the complexity of differences that can arise even between sister species. Further studies of natural genetic diversity underlying pattern variation in D. quagga and D. kyathit should provide insights complementary to those from zebrafish mutant phenotypes and more distant species comparisons. Pigment patterns of fishes are diverse and function in a wide range of behaviors. Common pattern themes include stripes and spots, exemplified by the closely related minnows Danio quagga and D. kyathit, respectively. We show that these patterns arise late in development owing to alterations in the development and arrangements of pigment cells. In the closely related model organism zebrafish (D. rerio) single genes can switch the pattern from stripes to spots. Yet, we show that pattern differences between D. quagga and D. kyathit have a more complex genetic basis, depending on multiple genes and interactions between these genes. Our findings illustrate the importance of characterizing naturally occurring genetic variants, in addition to laboratory induced mutations, for a more complete understanding of pigment pattern development and evolution.
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Zebrafish Melanophores Suggest Novel Functions of Cell Chirality in Tissue Formation. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13010130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several types of cells show left–right asymmetric behavior, unidirectional rotation, or spiral movements. For example, neutrophil-like differentiated HL60 (dHL60) cells show leftward bias in response to chemoattractant. Neurons extend neurites, creating a clockwise spiral. Platelet cells shows unidirectional spiral arrangements of actin fibers. In the microfabricated culture environment, groups of C2C12 cells (mouse myoblast cell line) were autonomously aligned in a counter-clockwise spiral pattern, and isolated C2C12 cells showed unidirectional spiral pattern of the actin skeleton. This biased directionality suggested that these cells have inherent cell chirality. In addition to these cells, we recently found that melanophores of zebrafish also have an intrinsic cellular chirality that was shown by their counter-clockwise self-rotation. Although this cell chirality is obvious, the function of the cell chirality is still unclear. In this review, we compare the cell chirality of melanophores of zebrafish with other cell chirality and consider the function of cell chirality in morphogenesis.
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Rathjen FG. The CAR group of Ig cell adhesion proteins–Regulators of gap junctions? Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000031. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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10
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Inaba M, Chuong CM. Avian Pigment Pattern Formation: Developmental Control of Macro- (Across the Body) and Micro- (Within a Feather) Level of Pigment Patterns. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:620. [PMID: 32754601 PMCID: PMC7365947 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal color patterns are of interest to many fields, such as developmental biology, evolutionary biology, ethology, mathematical biology, bio-mimetics, etc. The skin provides easy access to experimentation and analysis enabling the developmental pigment patterning process to be analyzed at the cellular and molecular level. Studies in animals with distinct pigment patterns (such as zebrafish, horse, feline, etc.) have revealed some genetic information underlying color pattern formation. Yet, how the complex pigment patterns in diverse avian species are established remains an open question. Here we summarize recent progress. Avian plumage shows color patterns occurring at different spatial levels. The two main levels are macro- (across the body) and micro- (within a feather) pigment patterns. At the cellular level, colors are mainly produced by melanocytes generating eumelanin (black) and pheomelanin (yellow, orange). These melanin-based patterns are regulated by melanocyte migration, differentiation, cell death, and/or interaction with neighboring skin cells. In addition, non-melanin chemical pigments and structural colors add more colors to the available palette in different cell types or skin regions. We discuss classic and recent tissue transplantation experiments that explore the avian pigment patterning process and some potential molecular mechanisms. We find color patterns can be controlled autonomously by melanocytes but also non-autonomously by dermal cells. Complex plumage color patterns are generated by the combination of these multi-scale patterning mechanisms. These interactions can be further modulated by environmental factors such as sex hormones, which generate striking sexual dimorphic colors in avian integuments and can also be influenced by seasons and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masafumi Inaba
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Volkening A. Linking genotype, cell behavior, and phenotype: multidisciplinary perspectives with a basis in zebrafish patterns. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 63:78-85. [PMID: 32604031 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Zebrafish are characterized by dark and light stripes, but mutants display a rich variety of altered patterns. These patterns arise from the interactions of brightly colored pigment cells, making zebrafish a self-organization problem. The diversity of patterns present in zebrafish and other emerging fish models provides an excellent system for elucidating how genes, cell behavior, and visible animal characteristics are related. With the goal of highlighting how experimental and mathematical approaches can be used to link these scales, I overview current descriptions of zebrafish patterning, describe advances in the understanding of the mechanisms underlying cell communication, and discuss new work that moves beyond zebrafish to explore patterning in evolutionary relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Volkening
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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